FIFA strips Indonesia of hosting rights for U-20 World Cup

The world football governing body, FIFA, has issued an official statement stating Indonesia has been stripped of its hosting rights for the 2023 U-20 World Cup.

The decision was reached after a meeting between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and President of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) Erick Thohir.

The 24-team tournament is scheduled to hold from 20 May to 11 June across six cities and Nigeria’s Flying Eagles and three other African countries, Senegal, Gambia and Tunisia, are all billed to participate in the cadet Mundial.

Though FIFA did not give any reason for taking the hosting rights away from Indonesia, reports suggest the resentment in the country against Israel’s participation in the competition contributed greatly to the decision,

FIFA nonetheless emphasised its commitment to actively assisting the PSSI in transforming Indonesian football, with the support of President Widodo’s government.

The world football governing body has also given assurances a new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the tournament dates currently remaining unchanged.

Potential sanctions against the PSSI may also be decided at a later stage.

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As Nigeria’s U-20 team and the qualified teams await the announcement of the new host nation, they remain focused on their preparations and the opportunity to showcase their talents on the global stage.

Unlike the FIFA U-17 World Cup, where Nigeria is the most successful team globally with five titles, the U-20 World Cup still eludes the country, which boasts two second-place finishes. Ghana is the only African country to have conquered the world at this stage.